UPDATE (6 p.m.):
Orillia OPP Acting Sgt. Brett Boniface has confirmed that the detachment has "received a complaint from a candidate in relation to the current municipal election" in Orillia.
"As this is an ongoing investigation, Orillia OPP will have no comment on the matter until the completion of the investigation," Boniface said.
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Orillia mayoral candidate Mason Ainsworth is asking the Orillia OPP to investigate matters related to the ongoing municipal election campaign.
He went public Wednesday night with allegations about bribery and intimidation on his social media channels referencing what he dubbed “sewer-level” political tactics against him and his supporters. Click here to read our earlier story about this.
“Since announcing my run for mayor, people tried to bribe me to leave the mayoralty race in return for a fully funded councillor campaign and alternatively, threatened to ‘come after me’ if I don’t back down,” Ainsworth claimed in his post.
On Thursday morning, Ainsworth decided to take his claims to the police.
“It took careful consideration to head in this direction. I felt an obligation to go to the police especially after some of the comments on (the) OrilliaMatters post on Facebook,” he told OrilliaMatters Thursday afternoon.
“It will now be up to the police to take any investigative steps,” he added.
When asked for specifics related to the timing of his decision to go to the police and exactly what he is seeking, he replied: “I went today and provided them with the information and am hesitant to comment on specifics as it is in their hands to investigate.”
Calls to the Orillia OPP were not returned prior to publication of this article.
